Where Art Thou Abigail?
by TheBrick98
Summary: After Abigail disappears Will and Hannibal are sent to work in London on short notice.
1. Chapter 1

Where had Abigail gone? It was a question that always stumbled in the back of Will Graham's mind. He had tried with her: visiting her when she was recovering from the horrible event of Hobbes, being her guardian; keeping Freddie Lounds at arm's length and taking her back to her house. But at the house he found out her dirty secret and Will scared her. Of course he never blamed her because it was Hobbes who drove her to it and Abigail was making progress. They were making progress.

The profiler's eyes kept searching for her. Hadn't she left him at the airport? Will couldn't fill in the blanks but she'd left him before he went on the plane, where she was supposed to return with him. Paranoia sought out Will, surrounded in a building with hundreds of people. _Thump_. A person bumped into him and a mutter of apology pokes Will out of his stillness and back to walking towards his flight.

*

Will was the last passenger on the plane and through the noise, the heiress mimed that his seat was out of sight. A man and children blocked the narrow path and Will began to feel clumsy. "Ummm… Excuse me?" Will stuttered but the man's behind did not react. Instead the obstacle gave directions to the children on where his magazine lay buried in the pile of bags. The older girl struggled to follow them as her sister gave different directions.

"Can you move it please?" a woman commanded. The man drew a blank face and began to scorn at the small lady. "I'll _move it_ when I've found my magazine and when you learn some manners lassie."

The cockney London accent came as a surprise but she still shot back, "I said 'please' unlike you, Lestrade." The young woman looked very thin and innocent yet that didn't make her comment any less intimidating. Will would like to cheer her on but his job did require him to keep the peace. "Thanks and all but it's not a good idea to murder each other - especially in front of a…" Will stops himself before he lets the cat out of the bag. Lestrade and the women looked expectantly towards him, "…especially in front of a… psychiatrist?" Hopefully Hannibal wouldn't mind his career being borrowed or preferably not hear about the event.

The girl's brown eyes light up at that and the two kids presented the magazine. "Does our uncle have anger problems?" the oldest inquired. The man ruffled his niece's hair, "Sorry about that, you know how it is in the airport with kids?" Will's teeth bit his lip. "I'm Greg. This is a friend of mine Molly." Will shook Greg's hand and went to shake Molly's, whose eyes were looking down on the ground – something Will regularly did himself. "I'm Will," Molly's big eyes finally met his. Will was about to put his hand away but Molly awkwardly grabbed it and shook hands. She smiled shyly and went to her seat next to Lestrade. The FBI profiler nodded his head in goodbye and went to find his own seat near the back of the plane.

As he slid past everyone, Will hoped that he'd meet Molly again and wondered if he could catch her for a drink somehow. It felt as though the two had a connection and Molly seemed to like him as well. Somewhere near the back, Will had finally found his seat. He hadn't taken a bag with him, just a book in his pocket for the flight. The book was a classic by Charles Dickens that he had already read but Will wanted to read it again since he was actually going to England, the birthplace of the author.

The seat by the window was already taken by a man in jeans and a hoodie. He wondered whether he should speak to him but decided against it. There can only be one sweet Molly on a flight and one new acquaintance was enough. This one wasn't new though. "Hello Will" a familiar voice greeted. His eyes searched around him but he couldn't spot who had called him. "I'm right here," Hannibal's voice gave a wave, "can you not recognize me without my suit?"

He couldn't believe his eyes: his psychiatrist sat on the plane with him to go to England and in a hoodie and jeans, "I-Is… Is that a beanie!?" Will hardly manages to say. Amusement sneaked into the curls of Hannibal's lips and very few could catch it. Did Jack arrange this? It bothered Will to think that Jack couldn't trust him with a case by himself without needing someone to fall back on and also that he didn't give him any warning…

"You're offended? It was a last minute decision for Jack. Others felt that you could use a hand and Jack asked me." Hannibal said it without answering the real question. His speech was very soft and Will wondered if his friend got much sleep. He looked so uncomfortable in casual clothes and Will couldn't help imagining his friend packing all his suits into a small bag by magic.

Will settled in time to listen to the safety procedures. Even Hannibal, who used to be a doctor, politely listened. Molly and Greg were hidden by the towering seats and Will had to force his eyes to keep on the belt the heiress was using as an implement. Once she was finished, and recommended them to read the information in their seats, the pilot introduced himself and said, "…we should be arriving at London at 4:46pm. Have a pleasant flight."


	2. Chapter 2

Ali and Jade debated formally whether to watch _Frozen_ or _American Hustle_.

"They sing in this one."

"There's singing in this one as well though."

"You can't watch _Frozen_ after winter ends, it's now or never Ali."

"Bububububut…_Jennifer Laurence_…"

Lestrade and Molly also read over the options, "Isn't _American Hustle_ a 15?" Lestrade scrolled the description, "It's a bit different from that other movie she was in - the food fight?"

"_The Hunger Games_? I loved Jennifer's character in that one; she was amazing!" Molly said excitedly. She had read the books before the films came out and was pleasantly surprised when the actress exceeded her expectations of her portrayal. "I'd quite like to see _American Hustle_ as well."

Having spent a week's holiday with Molly Hooper, Lestrade had learnt many things: she was great with children, liked having takeaways because she couldn't cook and that she was stranger than he had originally thought. All of which had him smitten. "Jade hasn't even reached 15 yet and you're younger than her, I'm happier with you two watching the snowman one."

Ali hadn't quite given up on her film when Molly went to the restroom. On her way she saw Will absorbed by a book. Although she wanted to say hello, a small voice told her not to, _he won't hear you and won't want to_. On the way back from the toilets however the air hostess was walking around with the food trolley, blocking her way from her seat. Molly thought about just squeezing by but then she heard Will. "Hi - Molly wasn't it?"

She blushed for reasons she didn't know, "Yeah, hi. How's the book going?" Will presented his book to reveal he was reading _Great Expectations_. She remembered watching an adaption on TV and approved of the choice.

The man sitting next to Will was very still and had his head turned to the window. "This is a friend of mine, I think he's sleeping. At least I hope he hasn't been blanking me for hours." Molly laughs lightly at the joke.

"Sorry," the air hostess apologizes, magnetizing Molly to Will as she drove the trolley towards them. As Molly moved closer to Will, Hannibal instinctively leaned in as well. His head rested on his friend's shoulder, Hannibal's possessive nature kicking in. Initial confused eyes dawned on the other man. The usual stylized hair hanged loosely today from his hat. One strand made Hannibal's eyelid twitch and Will carefully brushed it away. The later seeming transfixed by his friend and seemed to forgot about the third party. She felt like an invader on the intimate moment. Just as Molly was about to leave, Will asked, "I don't suppose you'd show us a good place to grab dinner after the flight ends?"

"Dinner?" Molly says stunned to the floor. Will nods his head lightly. "Well Lestrade and I were going to eat at an Italian place after his sister picks up the children anyway. Sure, why not?"

*

An hour after he and Molly had exchanged numbers, Will's concentration broke away from his book. The warmth that had been given from Hannibal had steadily spread slowly around Will's shoulder throughout the period of time but now it was slightly damp.

Twitches conducted sparks through Will and the impact left a message for help. "Hanni-it's okay Hannibal," Will cooed, trying to keep his voice calm, "I'm right here." The psychiatrist started to make low slurred sounds and Will had no idea what he was trying to say in the midst of his vulnerability. Nor did Will feel like he had the right to know.

"Is everything okay sir?" the air hostess asked out of nowhere. It was only a quick glimpse but Will saw the hunger in the green eyes. The pair hadn't really made a large impact on the plane and sat at the back, yet the hostess had noticed them and that made Will even more suspicious.

"Mischa…" Will slightly catches before Hannibal jumps and collides with Will's nose. In a state of confusion, Hannibal woke up to the smell of blood and the loss of control of his breathing. "Oops," the air hostess reacted, "Are you alright? I'll just get you some tissues."

To Hannibal's horror, Will was covering his nose in pain and blood was spilling out from his hands. The impact had left a pain on Hannibal's head and it didn't take long for him to put two and two together. Lost for words, Dr Lecter tried to focus on his breathing while Will tried to contain his blood.

"Here you go," the hostess returned with a full box of tissues and said before leaving, "If you need anything more don't be afraid to ask."

"Thanks." Will said as he started wiping the blood. Hannibal leaned in and grabbed two tissues. His friend watched suspiciously as the material was twisted and offered to him. "You should stick this up your nose to stop the blood from spilling everywhere," Hannibal eventually said when his gift wasn't initially accepted.

"I think I'll pass but thanks," Will said because he didn't want to be further embarrassed. He knew Hannibal didn't mean to cause this and was only trying to help but too many other eyes were watching him, including the air hostess. Will gave her a warning look and her gaze quickly spun.

"I must insist," Hannibal pressed, "Let me make it up please."

Will sighed before taking the doctor's medicine and reluctantly stuck the tissues up his nose. Hannibal then directed Will's index finger and thumb to press on his nose and to lean his head forward. Within 10 minutes the bleeding stopped and Will shook at the memories his blood gave him. "You said 'Mischa' just before you woke up…"

"…Did I?" Hannibal felt a lump crawling up his throat. He thought about sharing his past. Will was someone that Hannibal felt on the same level with but what was the use of opening old wounds?

"Did you get much sleep last night?" Will decided to ask and listened as Hannibal mentioned the problems of not having a secretary. "I had to leave messages for all my clients and I couldn't tell them how long I would be away. My kitchen also needed taking care of…"

He gave a short laugh when Will said he could've helped him, "I'm not that bad a sous chef. Am I?" Will began to relax at the sound of laughter.

"No, your help next time would be much appreciated."


	3. Chapter 3

The holiday was only a cover. Molly to be in a safe place but did Lestrade have an agenda behind it? He'd always found her beautiful but the woman was under the spell of Sherlock Holmes so he never thought about it really. The DI had never had a shot before - not until now. They had spent a week with each other and tonight would be their last chance to exploit it. Lestrade had it all planned out: take her out to an Italian, talk about the highlights of the holiday and then he'd tell her how he felt. It was a simple plan.

As he walks through the chaotic road of London and into the warm Italian restaurant, Lestrade's eyes fix onto - his new obstacle - Molly sitting with two Americans. The tourists had practically invited themselves to this intimate dinner and the one with the curly, dark hair was definitely competition for Molly's affections.

The three had just finished ordering when they greeted the middle aged man warmly. "Sorry Greg," Molly apologised, "We should've waited for you before we ordered." The DI took the seat next to the man wearing the hoodie, sitting opposite from Molly. "Nah, it's alright. I'll catch up by dessert." Lestrade said while he looked across the menu. He'd probably just order something safe like a pizza with pepperoni.

"I'm Hannibal Lecter by the way," the gentlemen announced in the progress of making conversation, "Miss Hooper says that the restaurant was your choice?" This effort was wasted on Lestrade.

"Did you say your name is…Hannibal?" The adult whispered in amazement and pronounced the syllables of the name as if they were a tongue-twister. "Like cannibal?" Tension tiptoed above the table on a weak safety line.

Will's glass drops from his hands but he doesn't seem to notice. His eyes explode with amazement. What jumps out of his mouth sends a siren across the room. "It frickin' rhymes!"

The majority of the restaurant turned in British disgust while the rest concentrated on their own business. Molly quickly sent Lestrade a kick under the table and a warning look. She then helped Will collect his spilt whisky that had crossed to her side of the table. The glass hadn't broken luckily. Hearing a sound like a kettle, she looks at Will who's actually trying to hold his giggling through his teeth.

How could he not have noticed this before? Will had known his psychiatrist for about a year now and had met him when he was investigating the cannibal, Garret Jacob Hobbs. Hannibal looks so pale and shocked too. It was as if America had this bubble around the rhyme and was popped by none other than Lestrade. Will didn't want to start laughing and was feeling guilty just by giggling.

A young waiter came to the table and offered to refill Will's glass and take Lestrade's order. Although stunned at the apparent outburst he remained friendly to the customers. "May I ask what rhymed, sir?" the amateur waiter asked Lestrade after he finished his order.

By this time Hannibal had regained his composure. At first he felt like grabbing a knife and stabbing it into Lestrade's brain repeatedly. Because of obvious reasons he couldn't, not yet anyway. He'd visit London again when it suited him and hunt him down, humiliate him, feed him to the apple of his eye and get away with it. Hannibal could feel something gnawing at the back of his mind. He didn't know what though.

Lestrade only glanced at Hannibal quickly but he could feel his predator eyes and didn't want to offend him further. "Nah, you don't want to know."

*

"You two aren't in a relationship," It's a statement.

"No," Molly replies anyway, "Just friends."

Lestrade wanted to dig himself a hole. Even though Will seemed like the problem at the beginning, he couldn't help but feel Hannibal's hostility. "An ex of Molly's appeared out of the blue so I thought 'why not take her on holiday with the girls'."

"Is he trouble?" Will asked Molly. He could see someone taking advantage of her good nature. The woman didn't seem too troubled though.

"It's nothing. We only went out three times," Molly said before she drank her water. Hannibal could tell she was leaving something important out but he wasn't surprised, just curious. "A short courtship and him appearing 'out of the blue' is reason enough for a holiday, must be a fascinating man?"

This made Molly and Greg both laugh. The subject did make the former on the nervous side though and she thought better to change it. "Have you guys heard of Sherlock Holmes?" It was a question she had wanted to ask all night.

Will and Hannibal took their time answering. Both of them had actually heard of the infamous detective. Hannibal spoke first, "I remember hearing about him on the news a couple of years ago perhaps. He had jumped off a building?" When hearing it on the news, the man intrigued him on the potential of his deducing abilities. The doctor searched on the internet for more information and was up to date on the man's return. Hannibal was curious if Holmes could figure out his secret although now found it disturbing that his own name basically gave the game away. It left a caustic taste in his mouth.

Will on the other hand didn't really watch the news. Will became aware of Sherlock when he was told that he was going to step in for him. A Consulting Detective, thought Will, does London police really have that? He had a quick look at a blog written by John Watson, a close friend of the detective who wrote about their cases. The stories seemed bonkers but it certainly encouraged Will to travel this far. He hadn't read as far back as Sherlock's fake suicide being mentioned though and was left puzzled by Hannibal's question. "I think I've heard of him," Will said simply.

Molly explained how Sherlock had faked his suicide years ago to outsmart an evil businessman. Lestrade added in quickly that Miss Hooper had helped with disguising a corpse as Sherlock. "He needed my help and I was happy to oblige," she stuttered in embarrassment, "Lestrade works with Sherlock - he's a Detective Inspector!" She said, dragging her companion down with her in the limelight.

Fate showed itself as Will and Hannibal realised they'd be working with this Cockney and, by the sound of things, Lestrade knew nothing of Will. Did his superiors not tell him because he was on holiday? The two locals seemed to genuinely like Sherlock too. Will was suddenly scared if they'd think he would be a mediocre replacement. Not only that but he lied to them. Trust was always a struggle with him but it was essential for colleagues. He wanted to bury his face using his sweating hands but instead tried to pull a fake smile.

"It was a pleasure to dine with you two, Molly Hooper and Greg Lestrade, but I'm afraid I need an early night. I hope Will doesn't mind if I drag him along with me." Hannibal rose from his seat gracefully. Although he wanted to indulge on Lestrade's ignorance, Hannibal could see that Will's mood had taken a turn for the worse and knew his friend needed to escape. If they didn't do it now, Will might turn rude.

"But you've hardly touched your lasagna a-a-and Will hasn't discussed his job as a psychiatrist," Molly fished, not wanting these new acquaintances to leave so soon and to never be seen of again, "Tell him Lestrade, they can't leave before dessert."

Now Hannibal wasn't sure whether to be disappointed that Will had lied or to be flattered that he'd thought of him for his lie. Lying is rude but Will was often the exception to the rule. He didn't have the self-discipline to hold his tongue but made up for it with his puppy like traits. It was also a blessing for them to leave in some ways: Lestrade had terrible table manners, the food wasn't cooked to perfection and Hannibal could still feel the mysterious void that bothered him at the back of his mind. "Sorry Miss Hooper but our friend needs his beauty sleep," Hannibal said thinking of Jack Crawford.


End file.
